Meant To Find You
by LemonOut1
Summary: This is a collection of (mostly) Meredith & Derek one shots. There are also going to be other characters making random appearances.
1. Meant To Find You

I am working on updating my other fics (I am currently in Europe and most of my documents are on my iMac back in NYC. Ugh.) but I hope you'll enjoy this little corny story I wrote. I read a cute article on the Huffington Post a few days ago and I was inspired to write a MerDer one shot, since most of the MerDer we got this season, was not very satisfying.

And no, I still do not own Grey's Anatomy, unfortunately.

* * *

><p>Meredith sat down on the bed in the guest bedroom with a sigh. It was 8PM and she had just got back home from a long shift at the hospital. She could hear Derek reading a nighttime story to Bailey in his bedroom, and Zola watching TV in the living room. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, enjoying the familiar sounds. Derek's calming and deep voice, Bailey's amused squeals, Zola's giggle… It was her family; the very same family whose future was now in jeopardy. Around her, there were several carefully labeled boxes still packed with hers and Derek's belongings, a reminder of the fight she had been having with her husband for weeks now. DC, Seattle... She sighed. If they were really meant to be, things wouldn't have been so hard, so heartbreaking, so complicated. Maybe that was it, she thought to herself. She and Derek were just not meant to be. That sudden thought made a lump form in her throat. It was the first time after they got married that thought felt like a real possibility. That they might have not worked out after all. She felt insistent tears pooling in her eyes. It was not the first time she had cried that day. Quickly wiping away the salty liquid from the corner of her eyes, she stood up, and opened a box next to her, picking up an old album full of Derek's family photos.<p>

She opened it, and smiled - her first genuine smile in a few days - looking at the first picture. Nancy, Derek's sister, was holding a chubby, happy baby that looked just like Bailey except for the dark, thick hair on top of his head. She turned the page and was greeted by another picture of Derek, this time, on a bike, his boyishly grin plastered all over his face. She turned the page again finding a picture of the Shepherds at the hospital, welcoming a newborn Amelia to the world. She noticed the imposing man with a gentle smile and kind eyes next to Derek, holding his hand. Her heart ached for the people in that picture. They looked so happy, and carefree. How long after that moment did they find themselves looking at the casket of the head of their family being lowered into the grave? She looked at Derek's young face, a face that had never known losses and pain and, almost out of reverence, traced the outline of the picture with her fingertips.

She turned page after page of that album, witnessing the happy and sad memories of the family of the man she loved, her heart hungry for something she didn't even know was there, looking for a sign. She could see Derek growing up right in front of her eyes, in those moments frozen in time. Then she saw it. It was a picture of Derek and his four sisters, all of them wearing Micky Mouse ears on top of their heads, smiling in the middle of the crowded amusement park.

She stood up from the bed, and put her hair up in a messy bun. She slowly opened the door and walked to the kitchen; the house was now quiet, except for the sound of running water from the dishwasher. Derek was standing by the counter, opening the mail. Their eyes met. Meredith noticed the dark circles under his eyes, the exhaustion showing in all of his features; she was sure that was also how she looked. She walked towards the counter until she was standing right next to her husband and studied him as he tilted his head to the side, probably expecting an unfriendly comment, a prelude to their next fight.

Her eyes filled with tears once again – she blamed her PMS hormones for all the crying, and, catching Derek off guard, she put her arms around his neck, embracing him, as her sobs filled the otherwise rather quiet ground floor. She felt him returning her hug and pressing his lips to her head, smelling her hair, the warmth of his body enveloping hers, making her feel safe.

"What is it, Mer?" he asked taking her face in his hands, drying her tears with his thumbs, concern in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she managed to say between sobs, "I'm so sorry."

"I am sorry, too," he admitted, hugging her a little tighter. "I miss you. I miss us."

She nodded, her sobs subsiding a little.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore. I can't." she sighed.

"I don't want to do that either," he echoed, his thumbs still rubbing her wet cheeks.

"I don't want you to resent me anymore. It hurts me. And it scares me, because I keep thinking 'what if we don't work this out' and I just…"

"Don't," he interrupted her. "Don't ever think that. Nobody's going to give up on this. I would never…"

His voice broke and he had to take a deep breath before being able to continue.

"I've been selfish and I know it," he said with an apologetic tone. "But I don't want you to ever think I could resent you or the kids."

She nodded, still a little unconvinced.

"I love you. Nothing, and I really mean nothing, will ever change that," he stated with a sincere smile, that she returned.

Breaking the hug, much to Derek's disappointment, she took his hand.

"Come, I need to show you something," she said guiding him to the guest bedroom where the old photo album was still open on the bed.

She sat on the bed, and so did he.

"Look at what I found," she said, pointing at the picture of Derek and his sisters at Disneyland.

Derek smiled. "That's a neat picture."

"No, look at it," insisted Meredith.

"I've seen this picture a hundred times, Mer. My mom has a bigger copy of it framed in our house," he replied with half a smile, not understanding her fascination with it.

"Derek…" she said almost impatiently.

"Okay, okay…" he gave up with an amused tone. Then, he saw it.

In the left corner of the photo, stood a little girl who must have been no older than 4, wearing a striped shirt, her hair in pigtails, holding the hand of a sad-looking man that Derek immediately recognized as a young Thatcher Grey.

"Meredith…" he started, bringing the photo closer to his face to examine it.

"Yes, that's me and Thatcher," she confirmed. "My mom was speaking at a conference in Florida, and we went there, too. And he brought me to Disneyland. I don't even really remember that much."

Derek looked at the picture, still in awe. That little girl, now a grown woman, was standing just a few feet away from him.

"This… this is amazing," he said, trying to unglue the picture from the album's sticky page. "It was our last family vacation before my dad…"

She nodded, understanding what he meant, and sat closer to him, taking his hand in hers.

"It's our first photo together," he smiled.

She rested her head on his shoulder as he held the picture in his free hand.

"It is. I guess it really is a small world," she said shrugging her shoulders.

Derek shook his head.

"No. No, it's a big world. I was just meant to find you."

* * *

><p>FIN<p> 


	2. The Ellis Grey

I decided to make this fic a collection of one-shots. Most of them are going to be MerDer, but there are going to be other characters, too. This one has a great deal of Ellis, but also some cute, and sweet MerDer. Ellis is a character that has always fascinated me because of its complexity, and after last week's episode I finally decided to try and write something with her in it. I hope you'll enjoy this story and will let me know what you think of it!

xo.

I still do not own Grey's Anatomy. Crazy, huh?

* * *

><p><em>Boston, 1992<em>

I can hear loud voices outside of the small on call room, something about a big trauma coming by helicopter.

"Page Grey!" someone yells, and I know it's just a matter of seconds before my pager goes off.

I take a deep breath, preparing for the most likely exhaustingly long surgery ahead of me, and sure enough, less than five seconds later, there's a beep coming from the front pocket of my scrubs pants. And just like that, I'm on my feet, my lab coat in my hand, and my hair promptly up in a messy ponytail. I open the door and find myself in the middle of that familiar hospital chaos. It's a relief, really. I never thought I'd get used to the loud beeping noises, the patients yelling, and the scared interns running in the hallway looking for an attending, their eyes wide just like deer caught in the headlights. I see one of the residents, Michael Kelley, approaching me with half a scared smile.

"Dr Grey," he says with a small voice that makes my eyes instantly roll. "We need you in OR 3."

He gives me a chart and as soon as I read it, I know I won't make it home for dinner. It's Meredith's 14th birthday. She'll act like she doesn't care, but I know better. I know I'm not a good mother, I'm not oblivious, and I can see she's lonely, looking for companionship in unlikely friendships and questionable boyfriends. I know what she's trying to tell me with the bright pink streaks in her hair, but I ignore it, because avoidance is an art I refined over the years. I sigh, walking down to the OR with my resident.

"Dr Kelley," I tell him as I scrub, "please call my daughter Meredith and tell her I won't be home for dinner."

I know it's not his job, but I also know he will do it anyways, because I'm Ellis Grey - The Ellis Grey, and it's been a long time since anybody has not done what I told them to.

* * *

><p><em>Paris, 1995<em>

The hotel room is overly decorated, and it makes me feel like I'm suffocating. I look at my watch and take another sip of wine. It's 3:45 p.m. here, which means it's almost 9:45 a.m. in Boston, and Meredith is about to put on cap and gown for her high school graduation ceremony. I keep telling myself that saving a life is more important than my daughter's graduation, that being invited to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital to work with a dream surgical team is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but I know it's a lie. I wasn't raised by wolves; I know a mother should be at her daughter's high school graduation, yet I'm not, and I honestly doubt Meredith even bothered to get me a ticket. Thousands and thousands of miles separate me from that little rebellious girl who bears a strikingly resemblance to myself. She developed the bad habit of calling me Ellis instead of mom. Maybe it's her way to let me know that's all I am. I'm Ellis, just another adult who failed her.

Taken by a motherly instinct I wasn't even aware I had, I call our home phone back in Boston. Maybe Meredith is still there, getting ready. The phone rings several times before she picks up.

"Yes," she says with her usual annoyed tone, so typical of teenagers these days.

"Meredith, how many times did I have to tell you to use better manners when picking up the phone?" I admonish her, regretting it immediately.

There's a moment of silence, and I'm almost afraid she hung up on me.

"Is that it?" she asks, her voice as cold as ice. "You called to check how my phone manners are doing?"

I open my mouth to tell her I didn't meant to be so harsh and apologize. To tell her I wish I could be there with her and see her graduate… But I don't do any of these things.

"Please check if the letter from the Mayo Clinic arrived when you have a second," I say instead, and I can feel her disappointment from 3000 miles away.

"Ok," she replies.

"And, Meredith…" I take a deep breath, but then I realize she really did hang up on me this time.

I take the glass of wine and finish it with one big sip. I can imagine Meredith walking on that stage, looking for a familiar face in the crowd cheering for her, only to find no one. I wonder what kind of person she will grow up to be, already so cynic and disenchanted at such a young age. I almost call her again to apologize. Almost.

But I don't do it, no. I just pour myself another glass of wine, and open a French medical journal. No. I am Ellis Grey - The Ellis Grey, and I do not apologize.

* * *

><p>Seattle, 2000<p>

I impatiently wait by the phone for the doctor in Boston to call me back. I know something is wrong with me, and I think I have a pretty clear idea of what it is. I just need to hear it from someone else to make it real. I sit on the old, worn out couch. This house is exactly how it was when Meredith and I left, only dustier. I look at all the boxes with my stuff that I shipped a few weeks ago from Boston. I read the labels; 'Medical books,' 'Medical Journals,' 'Surgery Tapes,' and suddenly my life feels so unfinished. There aren't any old family pictures in my boxes, no corny little poems Meredith wrote for me in elementary school, no colorful paper flowers she gave me on mother's day.

Finally the phone rings, and I let it ring a few times, still trying to avoid the unavoidable. The voice on the other side of the line is grim, and I know it bears bad news.

"It's Alzheimer's, isn't it?" I ask interrupting my former colleague.

He tells me it is, and goes on, saying how sorry he is a brilliant mind, and a career like mine is going to be cut short by the degenerative disease. I'm barely listening. As I hang up the phone, I think of Meredith, all the secrets I kept from her, and how I've never been the mother she deserved to have. I take my cell phone, and call her.

"Hello?" she answers sounding happier than usual.

"Meredith…" I say, my voice filled with emotions.

I hear her speaking a foreign language I didn't even know she could speak, and when she talks to me again, the noise in the background has subsided.

"Mom, what's wrong?" she asks, the fact that she called me mom not going unnoticed by both of us.

"I have some news. Are you in Boston?" I say trying to keep my voice steady.

"I am not right now, but I can fly back tomorrow…" she replies, "Are you okay?"

"I'm in Seattle," I sigh, "Let me know if you need me to send you some money for a flight…"

"It's okay. I have some money saved up," she says with a worried tone, "I can catch a flight for Seattle tomorrow."

"Good," I nod, already wondering how I will tell her about my disease.

"Good," she repeats, and hangs up.

I stand up, take a pen and a piece of paper, and I go outside to the porch. The old swing is still out there, so I sit down. It doesn't swing anymore, and that's quite fitting; a perfect metaphor of what my life has come down to. I think about the conversation I just had with Meredith on the phone and my chest hurts, because I realize now how many years I lost trying to excel as a surgeon but miserably failing as a mother.

I know I will never be able to tell her all these things that I am thinking out loud, because I'm Ellis Grey - The Ellis Grey, and I'm a coward. So I write her a letter, hoping she'll understand.

* * *

><p>Seattle, 2013<p>

I open the door and see her sitting cross-legged on the living room floor, wearing a tiara, and playing some game with Zola. She sees me and smiles, and my heart melts a little. After all these years, she still has that effect on me. I put the mail down on the kitchen counter, and walk towards my girls, hugging Zola and kissing Meredith.

"Hey," I say sitting down next to them, "can I join?"

Zola nods happily and stands up to get another tiara that I put on, under Meredith's amused look. We play for a while, and we laugh, and we look just like one of those disgustingly happy families in cereals commercials.

"It's time for bed, Zozo," Meredith says glancing at her watch, and standing up.

Zola makes a sad face, but obediently takes her mother's hand and follows her to her bedroom. I put all the toys back in their places while waiting for Meredith to come back.

"Hey," she says hugging me from behind and placing a kiss on the back of my neck.

I turn around and I kiss her deeply, closing my eyes, intoxicated by her sweet smell.

"How was your day?" I ask her running my hand through her soft hair and kissing her nose.

"Long… But Alex and I finally agreed on the whole house thing," she says with a smile. "I'm happy about that. That house deserves some more good memories."

"I know. Your lawyer called me, he couldn't reach you," I tell her smiling back. "He dropped some papers off at the hospital. Here."

I disentangle myself from her hug, and grab the stack of paperwork from the kitchen counter.

"Do I have to read all of this?" she asks pouting.

"I can help," I laugh. She nods grateful.

I go trough the paperwork and I stop as I see a closed envelope with Meredith's name on it. I've seen enough of her diaries around Meredith's old house to know that's Ellis' small and messy calligraphy.

"Meredith…" I say giving her the envelope. "I think this is for you."

She gives me a questioning look, then she sees her name written on the back of the white envelope, and bits her lower lip.

"It's my mother's, isn't it," she sighs. It's a statement more than a question. I nod.

"You should read it," I say with an encouraging smile, "I'll make some tea."

"I'll go in the backyard. I think I'll need some air," she says grabbing the envelope, "Come join me when the tea is ready."

"I love you," I say kissing her lightly.

She smiles, and I follow her with my eyes as she walks to the front yard and sits down on Zola's slide. I wonder what's written in that letter, and how it will affect Meredith; her rocky relationship with Ellis is still a touchy subject, even now that her mother is gone. I know how hard it is for her to let people in past all the walls she built around herself over the years, and how lucky I am to be where I am with her. I put the tea kettle on the stove and let the water boil, waiting for its whistle, lost in thoughts. After a few minutes, the water is ready, and I pour it into two red mugs, one for me and one for Meredith. I take two green tea filters from the cabinet and let them float in the hot water for a few seconds, before grabbing both mugs in one hand, and head outside to the porch.

Meredith sees me approach and scoots over a little, leaving me some space on the slide. I hand her the mug and she gives me a grateful smile.

"Are you okay?" I ask her looking at the letter in her hand.

"Yes," she nods. "It was very… Un-Ellis."

I raise an eyebrow.

"I think she wrote it when she found out she was sick," she continues, "I cannot even imagine how it must feel to realize all of your memories are slipping away…"

I kiss her temple and she rests her head on my shoulders. I breathe in the familiar smell of lavender and close my eyes.

"She had so many regrets, so many untold things… How can this be all that is left of a brilliant surgeon like my mother?" she sighs, "A letter of things she wished she did and say."

I put my arm around Meredith and rub her shoulder with my thumb.

"You know she didn't come to my high school graduation?" she says lifting her head from my shoulder and turning slightly to look at me. "I was such an obnoxious little brat back then, but I really did want her to come."

She smiles sadly at me and I tilt my head, mesmerized by the deep blues and greens in her eyes.

"I got her a ticket, but I never gave it to her. I was too damn proud to ask her to come," she says, tears in her eyes. She takes a sip of tea trying to swallow back the tears, but failing.

"And she died alone, thinking I didn't love her," she continues, "People died alone thinking I didn't love them…"

She buries her face in the crook of my neck, and I hug her, feeling the pain she feels, and I know she's not just talking about her mother anymore, the memories of Lexie's lifeless body still fresh in my brain.

"She knew," I tell her as her sobs subside, even if I know whatever I say is not going to mean a lot, because I know her, and I know she always feels too much. Too much love, too much pain… I just sit there, my arms around her.

"She didn't know," she sobs pointing at the letter. "She wrote she knew she didn't show me what love was, and that she hoped I would find someone who could make me feel as loved as I deserved… And I got you, but who did she have?"

As she calms down, she puts her mug on the grass next to the slide and takes my face in her hands. I see the hurt in her eyes, but most of all I see the love, and I know I am the luckiest man in the world.

"I love you, Derek Shepherd," she tells me forcing a smile past her lips.

My heart is beating faster, and I almost feel like a teenage boy standing in front of his long time crush.

"I love you," I say returning her smile and capturing her lips in a kiss that makes my heart skip a beat.

She rests her head on my chest and closes her eyes. We stand like that for a few minutes, in the middle of the lawn, almost afraid to let go of each other. Then she takes a step back, looks at me, and smiles.

She picks up the two mugs from the ground with one hand, and then folds her mother's letter back into the envelope, putting it in the back pocket of her jeans, and looks up to the starry sky. I know she doesn't believe in God or heaven for the matter, but I see the hope in her eyes. Then she takes my arm and kisses my hand, the one still damaged from the plane crash

"Let's go to bed," she tells me with a smile that holds many promises of good things to come.

I follow her to our bedroom, closing my eyes as she slowly unbuttons my shirt, and when she kisses me lightly, the taste of her salty tears still on her lips, I know I am home, and I have everything I need.

* * *

><p>FIN<p> 


	3. One Fine Day

**AN**: This story was supposed to be a Halloween one-shot. I didn't have the time to go through it again and edit it until tonight, and as I did, I somehow ended up re-writing it completely. So yeah, here's a non-Halloween one-shot for you guys! Hope you'll enjoy it anyways.

**About the location**: I know that Columbia University Med School is further up from the Morningside Campus, and that most medical lectures happen over there. For the sake of fiction, though, the story is set in the main campus, and the lecture took place at Havemeyer Hall, right off the 116th St subway stop. Also, we don't really have ivy climbing up buildings over there. Maybe there's some by Whittier Hall, but I've always lived off campus, so I can't really be 100% sure. I wasn't big on school activities nor dorm parties. Oops.

**I still don't own Grey's Anatomy, even though I did borrow a line.**

* * *

><p>It was a cloudy Friday evening. Meredith walked through the main gate of the quiet campus, her nose red for the unusually cold weather. She looked around, not sure where the science building was, tightened her silky scarf around her neck, and glanced down to her brown leather watch. It was almost 5PM, the air was getting colder, and it was already starting to get dark.<p>

The picturesque campus right in the middle of a big city like NYC seemed like an oasis; the autumn leaves covered the ground like a yellow carpet, and the now red ivy climbed up the otherwise grey buildings. A small group of students was sitting on the library steps, eating pretzels and passing around a paper covered bottle of some sort of liquor, their books laying forgotten a few steps away from them.

Meredith sat cross-legged on a bench facing towards the big south lawn, and breathed in the cold air. It was a nice campus, she decided giving a final look to the application package in her hand before placing it in her black shoulder bag. She glanced at her watch once again, then grabbed a small silver flask from the pocket of her raincoat and took a generous sip from it, the straight vodka giving her the familiar burning feeling from her throat down till her stomach.

"I'm pretty sure there's a no-alcohol policy here on campus," chuckled a dark haired boy sitting down next to her.

Meredith looked at him from head to toe - her face unreadable, and took a second sip.

"Don't worry, I'm not a security guard," he reassured her amused by her disregard.

Meredith shrugged her shoulders.

"You're not gonna offer me any of that?" he asked with a smirk on his face, pointing at the open flask that Meredith was still holding in her hand.

"Do I know you?" Meredith inquired, the annoyance evident in her voice.

"I'm Derek, Derek Shepherd," he said smiling, and offering her his hand to shake, which she ignored.

He cleared his throat. She took a third sip.

"So, are you skipping class or something?" He asked opening his backpack, and grabbing an apple from one of the inside pockets.

Meredith shook her head.

"You're great at this, aren't you?" he chuckled, taking a bite, and chewing the green fruit with a satisfied grin.

She gave him a questioning look.

"Your small talk could really use some improvement," he explained, his mouth still full.

Meredith's lips almost involuntarily twitched into a small smile.

"Sorry," she apologized tucking her hair behind her ear, "I guess I could be friendlier..."

"No need to say sorry," he said giving her a side smile that made a knot form in her stomach. "So, can I have some?"

"Are you serious?" Meredith asked raising her eyebrows.

"I am," Derek replied with a laugh. "It's quite cold, and I've had a long day... Here," he said taking his travel mug from the side pocket of his backpack.

"Say when," Meredith said pouring some vodka into the mug he was holding, her eyes glued to his.

"That's good," he announced after a few seconds. "Cheers!"

Meredith lifted the flask in some sort of a celebratory gesture, then followed Derek's example, and drank.

"So, are you a freshman?" he asked.

Meredith shook her head giving him a small, mysterious smile.

"You're hard to get to know," he stated taking another sip, amused by her secrecy.

"So I've been told," Meredith shrugged.

"It's always the mysterious ones that are worth getting to know…" he joked with a flirtatious tone.

Meredith rolled her eyes half amused half flattered.

"So, 'Derek, Derek Shepherd', what do you do?" she asked.

"I'm a second year med student," he replied proudly; then his tone became darker. "But it's not what I expected. At all."

"How so?" she inquired, a curious look on her face.

"It's complicated," he answered her shaking his head.

"I'm good at complicated. I live for complicated," she encourage him.

He smiled at her attempt, and took a deep breath.

"Well, the people teaching here… They're all brilliant academics, researchers, and doctors. But they're so cold," he tried to explain, fascinated by how attentively she was listening to him. "They take all the humanity out of medicine, and I don't think that's how it should be," he continued. "People are important, they're not just a number on a chart. I want to be a surgeon one day and I think I want to learn how to treat the patients, not just the disease…" he finished with a sigh.

Meredith rested her chin on her hand and looked at that guy in front of her, intrigued by how passionate he had just sounded.

"What you want to do…" she said looking at him straight in the eyes, a smile half sad half melancholic on her face, "It sounds very noble."

"You want to go to med school, too?" he asked, trying to go back to the lighter tones their conversation had earlier.

"Who says I'm not, already?" she smirked, understanding what he was doing.

"You look way too young to already be in med school," he said cocking his head to the side, and examining her.

She gave him a side smile, took another sip of vodka, and glanced down to her watch.

"Waiting for your boyfriend?" he asked.

"You don't give up, do you?" she replied with a small giggle that made his heart beat faster.

"Oh c'mon!" he said with a flirtatious laugh, "Give me something, here. I not even know your name!"

Meredith shook her head amused, then stood up.

"Well, Derek…" she started to say, but was interrupted by his warm lips on hers. She stood there, her eyes wide open in surprise, the now empty silver flask falling on the ground.

It took her a few seconds to recover, but once she did, she gave in, and kissed that boy she had just met back, running her hands through his surprisingly soft hair. He cupped her face with his hands, and deepened the kiss, tasting the warm vodka she had just drunk. He felt her wrapping her arms around his neck, bringing their bodies closer together, and was almost overwhelmed by the sweet, flowery, and warm scent of her dark blonde hair. He noticed how perfectly their bodies fit together, and was surprised by how familiar kissing her felt. He was breathless when they finally parted to come up for air, his mouth smeared with lip gloss. Caressing her cheeks with his thumbs, he rested his forehead on hers, his eyes still closed, and his heart racing.

"That was..." he said trying to find a word to describe how amazing that had felt.

"Unexpected," she uttered breathlessly, running her thumbs on his lower lip, cleaning what was left of her lip gloss.

They stayed like that for a while, waiting for their heartbeats to go back to a normal rhythm.

"I'm sorry," he apologized taking a step back. "I... I have a girlfriend."

"Oh," said Meredith, taking a step back as well, her expression unreadable.

"She's just..." he started to explain.

"It's okay," she interrupted him shrugging it off, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. "I don't really need to hear an excuse about how awful she is to you, and blah blah blah... Hell, I didn't even need to know you had a girlfriend in the first place. You don't owe me an explanation. Really," She picked her bag up from the granite bench, and adjusted the scarf around her neck.

"Wait," Derek stopped placing her hand on her shoulder.

Meredith turned around, almost against her will, the tone of his voice telling her she needed to listen.

"I'm not that kinda guy," he said, cringing at her eye roll. "My girlfriend and I... We met during our senior year of college, and we've been together ever since."

Meredith raised her eyebrow, still not sure why he felt it was important for him to tell her all of this.

"She's smart, and funny... Not funny in a 'Ha Ha' way, more of a subtle way, the way parents approve of. She's the kinda girl boring guys like me meet in college, and end up married to," he explained.

"Did you just call yourself boring," she smirked.

"Yes, yes I did. And I've been fine with that for a long time, but I don't think I am anymore," he finished running a hand through his hair, and strengthening his grip on her shoulder.

"Oh, God, don't tell me you had a life changing revelation because you met me, and you think I'm some sort of free spirited manic pixie dream girl who waltzes into guys' lives and changes them with her positive outlook on life, and her innate wisdom, because that would just be pathetic, and so, so inaccurate. I really don't have any wisdom to share," she laughed nervously.

He joined her laugh, shaking his head.

"It's not because of you," he said, "Not completely, at least."

Meredith's eyes widened. He laughed at her reaction.

"Relax," he said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She shivered at the touch of his hand, but tried to keep her composure.

"What I'm trying to say is that you showed me a different path my life could take; different possibilities," he explained.

"We talked for less than 20 minutes and you got all that?" she laughed sarcastically.

"Yes," he said with a nod.

"How?" she asked with a skeptical look on her face.

"I've had a few bad months, and... I don't know. It's just that when I saw you from across the lawn, I felt like I needed to know what it was like to kiss you," he said, slightly embarrassed. "And once I did kiss you, I realized I didn't even know that kind of connection existed. And now I know it does, and I want more of it."

"Well, that's borderline stalkerish..." Meredith half joked.

"You were like coming up for fresh air," he explained with a sad smile. "It's like I was drowning, and you saved me."

"That's pretty damn cheesy, especially considering we've known each other for less than half an hour... I think you got the wrong impression," she stated with a serious tone.

"But I didn't," he simply said, his piercing blue eyes looking straight at her.

Meredith gave him an annoyed look, just like the one she gave him as he approached her earlier.

"You're pretty condescending, has anyone ever told you that?" she asked him putting her hands in her pockets.

He tilted his head to the side, and gave her a warm smile. She had to look away to fight the urge to return it.

"Listen, if you could give me my shoulder back, it would be great," she said pointing at his hand still on her. "I really have to go."

Derek gave a final squeeze to her upper arm, then released her, a sad look on his face. Meredith started walking away, changed her mind after a few steps, and turned around once again to face him.

"Listen, I'm glad you're working your quarter life crisis out, but you can't just go around kissing girls you barely know to feel alive," Meredith said. "I'm a pretty good judge of character, and you seem like a good guy," she continued. "So get out there and be the person you want to be, take a trip, discover what you want, leave things that weight you down behind, get a new hairstyle... Actually, do not get a new hairstyle. Your hair is fine. But do you get what I'm trying to say?"

He smirked and nodded.

"And here I thought you had no wisdom to share..." he teased her.

"I have my moments," she promptly responded, looking back towards the main gate.

"Will I see you around here, again?" he asked.

Before she could answer, a stern looking woman in her 40s approached them.

"Here you are! I've been waiting for you by the car for the past 15 minutes!" she yelled at Meredith. "C'mon, let's go. Our plane is taking off in less than three hours, and with the rush hour traffic it's going to take us at least 45 minutes to get to La Guardia," she continued, already walking towards the exit on 116th street.

"I'm coming, mother," Meredith sighed rolling her eyes. Then she turned to Derek, who was still standing there, a confused look on his face.

"I've got to go," she shrugged.

"I guess this is goodbye, then" he said picking up her small silver flask from the ground covered in leaves, and handing it to her.

"Keep it," she said with a smile, walking backwards in the direction where her mother was waiting for her.

Derek returned her smile, put the flask in one of the pockets of his backpack, and sheepishly waved at her. Once she had disappeared past the imposing gates, he looked at the sky, noticing the very first snowflakes of the season starting to fall.

"This weather sucks," cried a tall readhead wrapping her arms around him, making him jump in surprise.

"I don't mind it," he said smiling, still looking at the sky.

"Were you talking to Ellis Grey?" she asked grabbing the lapels of his jacket so he was facing her.

"What?" he inquired with a confused look.

"Ellis Grey. Haper Avery recipient, brilliant surgeon..." she clarified.

"Yeah, I know who Ellis Grey is, Addison " he sighed.

"Well, she was the guest lecturer in class today, and I just saw you talking to her from across the lawn," she explained. "By the way, why didn't you come to class? Do you still have a headache?"

Derek freed himself from Addison's grip, frantically searching for the small silver flask he just put away, and when he found it, he brought it close to his face to examine it.

"Der, what are you doing?" Addison asked half worried half confused. "Is that a hip flask?"

Derek ignored her, his thumb tracing the engraved name on the silver material. _Meredith Grey._

He smiled, shaking his head; then turned to face a still confused Addison and sighed, already dreading what was going to happen next.

"Addie, we need to talk."

* * *

><p>FIN<p> 


End file.
